Ray was born in the family home, Knaphill, on 31st January 1948, to Valentine and Daisy. He was very close to his older brother John, they were different in character, but Ray, who always worked hard, idolised John. Their younger brother Michael was born five years after Ray.

When we were talking about Dad’s wishes he told us that we could speak about him, we knew his story, sitting here I find that all those important things I knew about Dad and the stories he told us are jumbled in my brain.
All those talks we had, I loved listening to them he’d always complain about digging out the potato store, delivering vegetable boxes and wood around Knaphill for his Dad. I loved learning about my family.
Memories are many, strolling through Blackbush market on Sundays and having Bacon rolls, or me filling his beloved boots up with sand or just wearing them around the house when I was young. 
How we weren’t allowed in the front room on Christmas day until Dad had come down from having breakfast in bed. He would open the front room door a crack and peer in, saying to us “Oh no! He hasn’t been – what are we going to do today now?”

His annoying habit of interrupting my TV programmes. He'd sit down saying, 'What's this rubbish?' and then ask a million questions the whole way through.
The nights at Nan J’s where we made up silly jokes, how we would sing in the car all the way home, and nights out at the Railway Club.